Who Got Hit by the Omni-Bus?

It is a wild week here in Washington as Congress rushes to pass the 2016 federal “omnibus” budget. A gargantuan task each year, passing the budget this time around is further complicated by a never-ending list of highly consequential and controversial policy riders concerning key issues like climate change, abortion, financial market regulation, and lots more. Congress has also seized the most immediate opportunity they have to respond legislatively to the Paris and San Bernardino attacks by attempting to insert under-thought and nearly un-debated policy riders into the budget. That includes riders which will suspend the refugee program and create new cyber security and surveillance programs. And changes to the Visa Waiver Program, which already passed the House and are gaining support in the Senate, are rumored to be included in the final budget. We mentioned this Visa Waiver bill last week with skepticism; this week we are outright condemning it because: (read long reason why here) it was passed without debate, it has the potential to discriminate against Arab Americans, American Muslims, and dual nationals; and, it fails to make exceptions for humanitarian workers and journalists who travel to Iraq, Syria, and Sudan. We agree that the Visa Waiver process needs to be examined for potential security weaknesses, but the rushed passage of this bill is not the right answer.